1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a control mechanism that is adapted for use in a dental operatory and, more particularly, to a control mechanism that may be used to universally select and control the operation of each of a variety of dental implements of the operatory.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the practice of dentistry, the implements, tools, and related equipment required to competently perform dentistry are generally located in an operatory, examining, or hygiene room. A typical dentist's office has more than one operatory. Standard features of an operatory configuration may include a treatment chair, a treatment console, a side console, a hand-piece delivery system, a dental and x-ray view box, a cart, a dentist's chair, an assistant's chair, an insert-storage unit, and/or an equipment turntable.
The treatment chair typically is located in a central area of the operatory and associated with a dental unit, which will be described in greater detail below. The treatment console often is mounted to a wall of the operatory and features a working-surface area for both the dentist and an assistant to help simplify procedural setups. The treatment console also can house a computer for efficiently and conveniently integrating patient-record keeping into the operatory or for viewing by a patient. The treatment chair can also feature a monitor and keyboard for such purposes. The side console usually provides the operatory with a built-in sink, a writing surface, and storage space for back-up materials and instruments and emergency supplies. The hand-piece delivery system can be mounted to the treatment chair and integrated with the dental unit and a cuspidor, for instance. The dental and x-ray view box can be integrated with the delivery system. The cart provides flexible instrument positioning, a mobile working-surface area for procedural setups, and convenient storage. The insert-storage unit can be built into a wall of the operatory to hide an x-ray machine and allow it to be shared between two adjacent operatories. The equipment turntable is used to support video- or intra-oral-camera equipment and other equipment. Patients, dentists, assistants, and staff members can enter and exit the operatory from a doorway located typically at the rear of the operatory.
The operatory may further include an extended floor box located, for instance, at the foot of the treatment chair. The floor box is usually designed to house compressed air, a vacuum source, and/or a waste-water disposal system. The operatory may also include a self-contained water system and an internal umbilical to clean-up operatory floor space.
The various components of the dental system just described can be configured with respect to each other and within the operatory in many ways. However, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate from the description that follows that the dental equipment described above and the location of an opening for ingress into and egress from the operatory forms no part of the present invention and is described here merely to facilitate understanding of the invention. In any event, it can easily be seen that the standard operatory contains a complex dental system having many components, some of which are large. Furthermore, although the complete dental system strives to maximize floor space, flexibility, and cleanliness of the operatory, many operatories have limited floor space and, thus, can become complicated with all of the equipment necessary to carry out the sophisticated procedures common to modern dentistry.
Making the dental system more complex and, hence, the operatory even more complicated, the dental unit supports instrumentation—particularly, a number of hand-held dental implements or tools that may be operatively connected to the delivery system. Familiar examples of such implements are lasers, air-abrasion units, electro-surgery units, cavitron and piezo-ultrasonic units, prophy jets, diamond probes, wands, intraoral-video devices, water-pick devices, syringes, electrically or air-powered drills, and water irrigators. The use of these implements requires skillful and careful attention to detail. As such, it is imperative to have precise control to perform intricate procedures with them and cause no harm to a patient.
It is very common in the practice of dentistry to have many of these implements stored or supported in the central dental unit that may be associated with the treatment chair. Alternatively, since these implements can be expensive, such that there is often an advantage in sharing them among operatories, many implements may be stored or supported on the portable dental carts that may be moved from operatory to operatory. The placement of the carts within an operatory varies, depending upon the preference of the operator. On the other hand, many implements may be stored or supported even on the consoles or in cabinets of the consoles associated with each operatory. Some implements are even permanently incorporated safely into an operatory, but this is done at a considerable expense. Further, permanent incorporation limits the placement of the implements within the operatory and inhibits sharing of the implements among operatories.
Dental implements are usually electrically powered, but may also be pneumatically powered, and controlled by the dental professional during use. Specifically, the implements can be supported in association with pivoting arms mounted to the treatment chair so that the dental team, in either a left- or right-hand configuration, can easily position the implements precisely where they are needed. From there, speed regulation and “on/off” control of the dental implements are often required. As such, it is also common to have mechanical, electrical, or pneumatic trigger-circuits and a power source or main compressor associated with the implements such that when each implement is lifted from a respective holder, the implement is automatically coupled to an appropriate utility supply for powering the implement. In fact, the carts generally need access to a 120-V outlet since almost all the implements operate on 120 V.
Dental professionals must have the ability to control the functions of the implement as well as selectively shift, switch, or vary among at least some of the functions thereof. In addition, dental professionals must have the ability to selectively shift, switch, or vary among at least some of the implements. Moreover, many dental procedures may require extremely precise control of the dental implements. If an implement is controlled by a finger-activated switch, the tactile sensitivity of the operator of the implement could be compromised. Therefore, attempting to control the implement with the same hand that is simultaneously manipulating the implement to perform a delicate procedure is a difficult skill to master and is generally not preferred.
Accordingly, a control mechanism, such as a foot pedal, is frequently provided for each implement, thereby freeing the hands of the dental professional so that he or she can concentrate on the procedure at hand. A foot pedal is utilized to, for example, control the speed of operation of the implement. Thus, each of the implements noted above typically includes a foot pedal associated with it. Each pedal is operatively connected to a cable or conduit that is ideally routed within the operatory to be non-intrusive. The pedal is usually placed at any convenient location on the floor of the operatory next to the treatment chair containing a patient. The pedal is used to control the respective implement, leaving the hands of the dentist or other dental professional treating the patient free for treatment of the patient. Often, a plurality of pedals are provided in accordance with the number of implements to be operated.
Conventional foot pedals or control devices commonly known in the related art are often “directly acting” in that switches are activated in the pedal to turn “on” and “off” the implements. Thus, conventional pedals can be cumbersome devices that include switches and associated electrical conduits. Furthermore, cables, conduits, cords, tubing, wire, and the like extend to and from the pedals across the floor of the operatory and present a trip hazard and, consequently, a major safety issue for patients and dental professionals alike.
Accordingly, dental professionals have found multiple pedals and their associated conduits and cords to be burdensome and a hindrance to the operators' mobility due to the size, bulk, quantity, etc. of the pedals and their associated conduits and cords. The pedals have proven to be too numerous, inconvenient, cumbersome, and otherwise unsatisfactory in terms of their operation and utility.
More particularly, the pedals create messy and dangerous clutter and, therefore, a possible safety hazard within the limited space of the modern operatory. Also, positioning of the dental unit can be dictated by the positioning of the various pedals and, thus, results in inefficient use of the operatory. In addition, since pedals are not standardized, each pedal often has a different level of control, feel, and location than the other pedals such that the operator of the pedals fails to achieve or loses a consistent level of control among the implements and precise feel for the pedals. Additional pedals cause confusion and increase the risk of inadvertent activation of the pedals, possibly causing harm to the patient, the operator, or a staff member. Furthermore, when an implement needs to be moved, either within the operatory or among operatories, an asepsis problem occurs. Specifically, the operatory floor and, as a result, the pedal or cable associated with it may not be sufficiently clean such that when the implement is moved with the pedal, the pedal may contaminate the implement.
In response to these problems of the related art, multi-functional foot controls have been developed in an attempt to put an end to dangerous wires running all over the floor of an operatory and to carry out all the important dental functions in a hands-free manner without diverting the operator's attention from performing these functions. However, these foot controls suffer from many disadvantages. In particular, some of these foot controls are hard-wired and contain a multitude of individual foot-activated pedals, thus causing confusion as to which pedal to use at a given time. Furthermore, multi-functional foot pedals of the type known in the related art cannot be used among operatories. Other foot controls—which are radio-frequency (“RF”) activated and, therefore, wireless—only function in conjunction with a separate computer to capture, for example, digital-radiograph images and intraoral-camera/-video images. However, these devices are controlled by separate “RF” compatible pedals and, therefore, do not mitigate the problem of using numerous foot-pedal controls to operate the various dental implements in an operatory.
Thus, there is a need in the related art for a control mechanism that can be used to universally control each of a multitude of implements employed within a dental operatory. Furthermore, there is a need in the related art also for a universal foot-operated control mechanism. More specifically, there is a need in the related art for a universal foot-operated control mechanism that does not require the use of a multitude of pedals; can be used among operatories; does not require a separate computer to function; does more than just capture images; and can be employed with existing operatory foot pedals.